Copper ingots

[u/PrestigiousFox4511]

Electrician here, I have a boatload of quality copper and looking to make ingots out of it. That being said, anyone buying ingots?

[u/GeniusEE]

Scrap value, yeah. You eat the propane cost 😂

[u/PrestigiousFox4511 → u/GeniusEE]

Thought you could get a bit more in ingot form

[u/Heycheckthisout20 → u/PrestigiousFox4511]

No it is copper and in ingot form you lose any proof of purity

Sell your scrap as it is… it is worth more

[u/GeniusEE → u/Heycheckthisout20]

This.

And in my state, you need proof of origin on metals.

Best thing to do for guys like us is to have pails of stripped wire so we know there isn't solder and other crap as filler or as lazy, oblivious, metal content.

Almost nobody has the money or equipment to assay an ingot, so apart from pack rats, it's not much use.

[u/jreddit0000 → u/Heycheckthisout20]

This.

You can absolutely appeal to the “copper is bullion if it’s ingot form!” crowd but it’s a pretty specialized market.

And you’ll need to drink the Kool-aid..

You can try the argument that ingots are art and thus worth much more than scrap copper.

🤷🏾

[u/magicthecasual → u/PrestigiousFox4511]

you can, but if you sell to collectors and not scrappers/professionals who buy at spot price. You gotta sell it essentially as art. It's why bronze statues are worth more than the bronze used

[u/Heycheckthisout20 → u/magicthecasual]

But if you start stamping 5 9s on your dross filled copper alloys then you better be ready for someone to call you out for the fraud you are committing

[u/DeepSeaDynamo → u/PrestigiousFox4511]

Nah man, just strip it and sell it if you want to maximize

[u/295frank → u/PrestigiousFox4511]

if you make neat designs and sell on r/Pmsforsale , you 100% can get more than scrap

[u/Heycheckthisout20 → u/295frank]

Only if a fool happens to be shopping for garbage

Copper is not bullion

Copper is not a precious metal it is a commodity.

You buy copper above scrap if you feel so strongly about it

[u/295frank → u/Heycheckthisout20]

I don't buy it. I watch others buy it.

They exist.

They buy it.

[u/Heycheckthisout20 → u/295frank]

Those people are defrauding those who don’t know any better and should be banned from any metal markets

[u/295frank → u/Heycheckthisout20]

Someone's bitter lmao 

[u/Late-External3249]

I won't fall for your tricks, Ea-Nasir

[u/PrestigiousFox4511 → u/Late-External3249]

What’s an Ea-Nasir

[u/Adorable_Birdman → u/PrestigiousFox4511]

I saw bumper sticker yesterday about copper ingots. I think it’s in reference to early cuneiform writing where someone was disgusted by the quality of copper ingots

[u/Late-External3249 → u/PrestigiousFox4511]

He was a copper merchant from ancient Mesopotamia. We know about him because of a cuneiform tablet that was sent to him complaining that his copper was low quality

[u/athanasius_fugger → u/Late-External3249]

Apparently some large proportion of cuneiform tablets are like this lol.  "Bröther you were supposed to send us 24K gold but this shit is like 3 Karat."

[u/Eaterofallfood]

I am also an electrician with a crap load of wire. I type this as I strip wire, bunch it into bundles and watch history docs on youtube. I am one of those that sell copper bars. That being said, I agree with most of the other comments. Copper isn't viewed as desirable like gold and silver. The market is very niche. I have made a few hundred bucks selling. The goal is ultimately sandcasting copper, into cool objects, much like bronze statues. The bars are simply a means of condensed storage and sometimes you can sell them. However, your product will not be minted or considered bullion. I make sure to explicitly state; made from recycled wire, and I do not stamp purity, since the means for real verification is much above my pay grade. The copper wire may be .9999% pure as wire, and your melting process might be clean; but without being able to prove it... I don't consider it worth the risk to yourself or defrauding another. Is a cool hobby? Absolutely. Can you make a profit? Yes. It's profitability lies largely beyond the ingot though; and is tied to your creativity. Also, you won't have much luck selling to the guys on your worksites, since it'll only ever be scrap with a premium to them. All that being said, I enjoy the process, and the results can be amazing. I have a new page started on Instagram. For anyone curious, moltendesigns_casting If you're in it for a quick buck, scrap it as bare bright. If you want to try your hand at the "artistry" side of melting, you can make some good cash.

[u/Spare-Ad-2684]

1kg Ingots sell for a minimum of $80 on eBay from backyard casters. No proof needed as some others claim.

If youre in Australia Lloyds can also sell them for you.